April Awareness

Did you know April is Parkinsons Disease Awareness Month? I just found out myself. Actually, I thought it was Autism Awareness Month, but with more illnesses than there are months in a year, I guess we have to double up.
My dad was diagnosed with Parkinsons when I was young (er, some form of it) and passed away when  I was 17. This has certainly raised  my threshold for emotional stress and definitely increased my compassion and adoration  for elderly/sick people (still trying to figure out why I love Mexican babies so much). There was this one time when I was kid he asked me to make him a cup of coffee (the instant kind) and I woke up in the middle of the night realizing I had totally forgotten to make it for him. You can only imagine the guilt I felt, years later, when it came out that drinking coffee reduces the risks for Parkinsons. As if that one cup would've made all the difference!
But this is a blog about SCONES, not dead dads. Bare with me.
In my years working at the tea room, we've had a few customers battling cancer and can only stomach scones during chemo treatments. The few times I've made scones specifically for these people, I've made sure to add an extra helping of love and good vibes.
Enter Wilbur. He and his wife love my scones. Wilbur was recently diagnosed with Parkinsons disease and it really struck me. What do you do when love and good vibes aren't enough?
Here comes the SUPER SCONE!
I've designed a scone with all super food ingredients. Cherries, dark chocolate, matcha powder, and cinnamon. Protein counter acts a medication used to treat Parkinsons, (thank you pharm tech sister)  so instead of using eggs, I used some of that magic greek yogurt Dr. Oz keeps talking about. They were pretty dense. The cherries and chocolate taste great together and you could hardly notice the green tea and cinnamon, but I knew it was there, with all it's free radical fighting power!
Ok, so  I had this fantasy that my little Super Scone would cure Parkinsons Disease and Michael J. Fox would be my new best friend and I'd make my rounds on the morning show circuit...but in reality, it's just a scone. No, it's a Super Scone. And Wilbur liked it. To me, that's all that matters.
But, seriously,  how cool would it be to be BFF with MJFox?

Soul Mates

We all have one right? It's no secret I met my Soul Mate at the Beer Store (I think we met way before that, but "we met at the beer store" has a nice ring to it, so that's the story we'll stick to). A soul mate, the one person, once you meet them, you can't imagine your life without them, the one person who brings out your best qualities and laughs at your worst qualities, your perfect match.  Well, since the blog is about aprons, I'm not going to talk about me and mine.
I bought this dress last spring online at urban outfitters. From the pictures I couldn't tell the pin dots were purple, but I loved the shape, the drop waist, the color and the adorable bows....

About a year before a customer of ours was cleaning out her mother's house. And what did she find? A bunch of aprons! And what did she do with them? She, so kindly, washed and starched each one, wrapped them in tissue paper, put them in a paper bag, wrapped ribbon AROUND the paper bag...and gave them to me! It was like Christmas! There was a lot of gingham and flowers and cross stitch...and this baby...

Purple checks and salmon cross stitch...so by some cosmo intervention these two met on my laundry line one day, and it's been one of my favorite work outfits ever since. 

Soul Mates. Perfect Match. Let my bold lines bring out your tiny pin dots! 

The woman who gave me these is so sweet! She had lunch at the tea shop with a girl friend once when I was wearing one of her mother's aprons (you'll see the rest soon I promise) and was so pleased, almost teary eyed to see me wear it. "I can remember my mother wearing that apron," she said. And, I often bump into her Saturday mornings at the coffee shop when  I am wearing one of her aprons...we both get a laugh! Mostly because I'm wearing an apron...at a coffee shop...drinking coffee...in a cafe...next to the beer store...where I met my future husband. Our lives are full of circles, mine is careful cross stitches. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Ah, St. Paddy's Day. It's the time I realize I know every word to every Irish song. It's the day everyone else in town makes Scones and Soda Bread. I saw some sorry scones at Price Chopper and sneered. I can't help my snobbery. It's occurred to me that I started this blog without explaining or defending my title as "Mary Queen of Scones," but I'll save that for another day. But  I will say today, the day when everyone is Irish, is does have to do with being Irish and being proud of that.
I think everyone was at the bar today, because  I had plenty of raisin scones left over. I shared them with my neighbor and the ladies that work at the library (I went to return the first season of True Blood), I think I made their day. Actually... I think I caused a riot because I only had a few! But everyone loved my very special St. Paddy's Day apron...

It's so sweet! It's all hand crocheted. I try to wear this number more than once a year, it deserves that. Joanne picked this up at the antique store, she couldn't leave it there! I like to think about the cute little old lady that crocheted it! But that's me...I create stories and scenarios and fall in love with people and I'm not gonna stop now! Besides, isn't being Irish about being kind and compassionate and telling great stories? 

I'm listening to the Cranberries greatest hits...

Life is but a Stage

It's hard to find a full apron that doesn't make me look like Lassie's mom, or a lunch lady, or a total frumparella. But this is one of my faves:

Aw, look it me, hard at work! This vintage find was a gift from my friends the Mahalicks. Since I am marrying a Rock Star, they thought it was appropriate for me. Although all I want to do is wear my spring dresses, I'm always scrambling this time of year to hurry up and wear all my sweater dresses, tweed, and woolies. This apron is a great compliment to my green sweater dress and jeggings. (I haven't worn "real" jeans in over a year, so all you jegging haters, don't knock it till you try it!) Here's a close up of my apron...

Music notes! The juggler is my personal favorite. Amanda's fond of Romeo and Juliet. But, they're all pretty special! 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's some of our sweetest, most festive aprons we wore yesterday. Mine (on the left) is Samantha's grandma's, and Samantha's is Cath Kidston. It was a great weekend at the Tea Shop filled with husband's bringing their wives, grandmas and grandkids, dads and daughters...all kinds of good stuff.

And here's my favorite love song, for everyone I love...(you know who you are!!)

Everyday is Like Sunday

Although we were not "trudging slowly over wet sand," with Samantha and I holding down the tea shop on Sundays, it goes like this...

This little gem is from glitterlimes.com 

Here we are discussing our day...

And  I was all like "No, Orange Pekoe does not taste like oranges," 

Here's a closer look at our super coordinated  looks...

I've been all about shades of grey lately. And I've been doing this apron over cardigan thing because I don't want to have a lumpy back. Samantha is my pink polka dot girl. Her apron is from Carolyn's Kitchen. It's getting closer to Valentine's Day, but all year long we do enjoy pink, and polka dots, and of course L-O-V-E!

Winter Sailor

Who says it has to be Summer to rock the sailor look?  I bought this dress with Summer in mind, but if you know me you know I can't let a new dress hang in my closet for too long. There's something I LOVE about red and black and white. 

Another great necklace from TopShop to complete my Sailor look...

No, it's not Ed Hardy. I just love swallow birds. I completed this look with a favorite apron...

Swiss Dots! This beauty was dropped off at the tea shop by a very thoughtful lady, her grandmother made it! And she knew we would LOVE it, and of course we do! 

This lace border is amazing. I'm sure this isn't the last you'll be seeing of this apron, like I said, it's in my top 10. Not because it's beautiful and goes with everything, but it reminds me of the kindness of strangers...and that's nice.